Monopoly,

In class we played monopoly. It was a really fun way of learning that sometimes hard work isn't enough to get you out of poverty. Even though our richest person barley did anything and put very little effort into playing they still ended up the richest in the end. Also our poor players just became even more poor and even ended up in jail a few times. This is kind of like real life because rich people who are born into money don't have to do much to stay rich, and poor people who are born into poverty have to struggle to get by and most of the time they don't even make it out of poverty. I have seen this in my life by living in so many different places. A few of my friends from the South side of Chicago are an example of this. They were born into poverty and even though they are grown now they are still in poverty and struggling just like their parents did.

Deviance.

This week in class we watched Freaks and Geeks and looked for deviance whether it be negative or positive. Most people people associate deviance with negative things because of the connotation that it has grown to have while on the other hand positive barely is recognized. I like this video above because its a funny yet pretty good way to describe deviance. My favorite part is when they guy walks into the coffee shop asking for a burrito. Think about it. Have you ever walked into a coffee shop and seen a burrito on the menu? yea. i didn't think so. Even though most people wouldn't see this as an act of deviance this is exactly what deviance is. The definition of deviance is The fact or state of departing from usual or accepted standards, esp. in social behavior. For our experiment that was due on Monday I put some positive deviance into action with my sister. Her and I have never been that close so when she called me and asked me to babysit for her I of course said yes. All she asked me to do was to make sure that my nephew who is 2 got all of his medicine before he went to sleep and was put on his nebulizer while he was asleep so he didn't take off his mask. I told my sister to go out and have some fun which she rarely ever gets to do since she is a single mother. When she got home her son was fast asleep, and her entire house was clean. All of my nephews toys were cleaned up, the beds were made and the kitchen was spotless. When my sister was laying on the couch and i started washing all my nephews bottles that he had just used she kept telling me "You don't have to do that." and every time she would say that i would reply "i know." It obviously made my sister happy that i was willing to do so much for her without her even asking. I love that i got to share this project with my sister because now we are closer and it makes you feel good when you do something nice for other people.

Tuesdays with morrie

Tuesdays with Morrie is an amazing story about this sociology teacher who is diagnosed with a fatal disease, and he doesn't have much time left. Before he dies he wants to give one last lesson. one of his former students hears that he is sick so he comes to see Morrie. He ends up coming to see Morrie every Tuesday and he gives Mitch a lesson about lives large questions like "How do we die?" or "When do we know we are in love?" ect. Mitch is your typical American; focused mainly on work, always on the run, and not taking enough time out of his life to enjoy life. Throughout the movie Mitch is a victim to conforming to the norms of society. By the end of the movie Mitch has a completely different outlook on life and ends up valuing relationships with people more than his relationship with work, as it should be. Morrie was an exceptional person because even though he was dying he still had a positive outlook and even though he has his times to cry and be upset about it in the end he was happy. the knowledge that Morrie had was amazingly vast and I think everyone could benefit from watching this movie or reading the book.

Bemused in America

It never occurred to me how other countries are very different than us. I mean I know there has to be something that makes them different to America but i never tried to figure out what it was exactly. Bemused in America helped me to understand what it was that separated America from Germany. I don't know every single detail about what makes us different but it helped me realize the small things and everyday rules have such a large impact on culture. American values and German values are one thing that makes us different. For example, the rule about the times that super markets are open in Germany as compared to America. How often do you think of how late or how early your local super market is allowed to be open? You probably don't very often because in our fishbowl metaphor American values aid in the make up of culture which is the water. Values in America are so strange to the author of Bemused in America because this is not his culture. In his culture having a super market open 24 hours or on Sundays is illegal. So what does this whole 24 hour thing say about Americans? To me it says that we LOVE convenience. Having a 24 hour market makes us able to work around our hectic schedules (which most Americans have) and allow us to work as much as possible. Not having the Markets open on Sundays in Germany shows that they value family time and that the value social lives.

God grew tired of us.

In class we watched a video about these kids from southern sudan. The young men were forced to flee from their homeland and seek refugee in neighboring countries because of the civil war. These boys became known as "The Lost Boys". A few of the lost boys were taken to America to start a new life. Here is where the lesson from class comes in. One of the boys asked "How do i bathe?" while another said "I have never used electricity." something so simple  like these are so common that we don't even think about it. These small things that we think are so "normal" are extremely different to others, and they make up our culture. When others come and have to adjust quickly they go through something clled culture shock. Culture is very important in peoples lives. I believe at one point one of the lost boys said "A man without culture is like a human without land." This qoute is one of my favorites from the documentary because in the video they also briefly show a few of the younger lost boys who lost their ties with their culture. On the other hand the other lost boys were holding on to their culture in as many ways as they could. I remember at one point they were crushing Ritz carckers so that theycould make food similar to what they ate in Africa. This was a great way to teach about different cultures.

Media

Watching the video in class was very enlightening. I already knew that women were mainly showed for what they looked like , and young women developed image problems because of this but i didn't know how bad it truly was. I also didn't know that it started so long ago. This is a major problem in todays society and we need to make a change. For example, i was in the car with my little cousin Chloe and she is African American. I saw her looking at me and she looked sad so i asked her what was wrong, and she told me "I wish my skin was light like yours." i told her right away that she was beautiful the way she was. I was so upset when this happened. I also have my African American cousins comment about how they wish their hair was straight like mine. This is what media is doing to women. They feel lower in beauty compared to me because their hair texture and skin color.  Media shows light skinned women with long straight hair mainly so when this is the worlds image of beauty think of how this would make people who don't look like that feel.

Culture Shock.

Culture Shock: The feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.This definition may be pretty clear but you truly don't understand culture shock until you have experienced it. America being a melting pot of cultures makes it more common than not to experience this. When i was younger i was very close to one of my cousins. She is half Belizean and half Indian. Its obvious that she is more connected with her Belizean roots, but i never noticed her Indian roots. We were around eleven and her grandma who is Indian was there watching us. Just like any grandma she kept pushing food on us, and it would be rude to say no. So even tho the food didn't look too appetizing i had to eat it. I sucked up up and sat at the table and her grandma placed a plate of food in front of me and said "Mango rice." I thought to myself "goodness i don't want this. i like mangos, and i like rice, but not together." I went to grab a fork and realized one wasn't at the table so i got up to grab one. when i came back to the table with a fork my cousin gave me a warning look; i didn't get it. i sat down and started eating. When my cousins grandma walked past she took away my fork. I was so confused. She told me I had to eat with my hands. I thought she was kidding; she wasn't. All this time i never realized that my cousin was eating with her hands also. There was a technique and everything to it. At first i was very judgmental but then i realized that this was her culture. It was a great learning experience and I'm glad i had the chance to learn about the culture and could except the differences.

A Brox Tale.

          This week in class Sal had us watch an amazing movie called " A Brox Tale." This movie is is about a kid named Calogero who lives in a town that is very heavily influenced by Italian culture. Calogeros father tries extremely hard to make an honest living and to instil this work ethic into his son. The attempts of his father are contridicted by what he see's in his community. When Calogero is very young he witnesses a murder and when the police question him about it he lie to keep his name clean in the neighborhood. Sonny , the neighborhood mob boss, feels like Calogero did him a favor and takes a liking to him. over the years Sonny and Calogero become very close and Lerenzo is not happy about that at all. Calogero kind of stuggle within himself to figure out who he is. He wants to be a good son to Lorenzo, a good friend to Sonny and a good friend to his peers. With all these influences C has to follow the rules. These rules aren't punishable by government but they are in the neighborhood. For example when Calogero tells the cops that Sonny didnt kill the man, he is following the rules. One of these imaginary rules is that you could be a "Rat" meaning you had to keep quite and you couldnt snitch. Another rule was if you were a white person you couldnt date a black person. This rule Calogero breaks in order to try to find "one of the great ones". I believe that todays society also has unwritten rules like how in the "gang leader for a day". I think this movie was kind of like Gang Leader because Sonny was a leader of a gang but he also helped people out in the community. Even though he did bad things it didnt make him a bad man, just like the Gand Leader in the Gang Leader for a day reading.

generalizations.

This week in class I've learned more about different groups and how they influence people. We did an experiment to see how people classed themselves and it was very interesting to watch and see how people saw their influences. in the reading we did in class i liked a point that was made that sometimes people generalize without even noticing that they are. Generalizations can be positive and negative depending on the situation. one example of a negative generalization is a stereotype, but a positive one could be a class average. stereotyping is bad because its making a generalization from no data from the people directly. a class average is good because it takes the information gathered from the people and makes a generalization bases off of first hand data.

sociological mindfulness

when you throw something away do you think of the influence it has on someone or something else? when you go for a walk and pass a person do you smile or look the other way? do you think of how it makes the person feel? if you answered yes you are sociologically mindful. to be sociological  means that you are conscious of your influence on others and of others influence on you. i like to think of myself as sociologically mindful because i believe keeping others happy and not being a burden on others is the least i can do.  i try my best to help someone if i see they are having a bad day whether it is a good friend or a random person on the street.

Silence

 I feel that silence is a good thing depending on the circumstance. Say for instance, you get into an argument with a loved one and afterward you are sitting there in silence not talking, that would be a bad silence, but have you ever thought of why you have stopped talking? Is it just because you cannot think of anything to say or is it because you subconsciously studied the person and have come to the conclusion that neither one of you is willing to give up so to stop the fighting you just stay silent. A good silence for example would be going for a walk and listening to the silence. It can be therapeutic, and soothing. 
An awkward silence i think is when some one is thinking of something to say, but cant find the words or your expecting someone else to talk. Kind of like how we waited for Mr.S to start talking the first day of class. I don't think its necessarily a bad thing, I mean its not a good thing either but its just something that happens. On another note i don't think people talk just to fill the air. I think that they talk to communicate. but yes some people just like to hear the sound of their voice. 
As we grow up we are taught right from wrong and what is expected from us and what is expected from others. But just because something happens out of the ordinary does that mean its bad? My answer is no. Just the same way that Mr. S was sitting there in silence other unexpected things can become lessons in life.

Who am I?

I am a sister, daughter, granddaughter, friend, cousin, student, employee, girlfriend, and in the word of Gwen Stefanie I'm just a girl. I grew up in the south side of Chicago where i lived with my grandmother, mom, brother, aunt, uncle. and cousins, so i grew up in quiet a large family. That's nothing out of the ordinary for your typical Belizean family, If there is a such thing. My family came to America from Belize. My mom came when she was 3, and my dad came when he was 18. Along with 3 of my 5 siblings I am a first generation American. 

After I lived in Chicago I moved to a Northern suburb near waukegan. There I went to a private school where i met some really amazing people. I was shy, and at first was scared to reach out. I was the opposite of outgoing. Because of the amazing friends that reached out to me, I am now confident and not scared to be a friend. 

After my short lived life near waukegan I moved to where i am now with my stepmom, little brother, step grandma, and Dad. This is where I started High school. I didn't know anyone when i started, but using the new set of skills i found some friends fast. Now I'm a Junior and I'm sitting in Sociology typing this. Life is always changing and thats great. I'm just a Girl. You reading this maybe just a girl also, or you maybe just a boy. you may ask what we all have in common? The one thing I'm sure we all have in common is we are different, unique, and constantly changing.